POUND RIDGE, N.Y. It may not exactly be peas and carrots or even peanut butter and chocolate, but the idea of mixing an antiques market and a farmers market seems to work at least in Pound Ridge it does.
Sponsored by the Pound Ridge Business Association, the Antiques and Farmers Holiday Market is now in its 19th year.
While it is a Business Association event, it was started by and is the brainchild of Joan Silbersher, who owns Antiques & Tools of Business & Kitchen on Westchester Avenue in the towns business district.
I started it, said Silbersher, a member of the Business Association. Actually, it started out as an antiques market.
But when the economy began to slow down in the mid-2000s, people werent using what little disposable income they did have to buy antiques and the market was beginning to dry up.
There were fewer and fewer antique customers due to the economy, Silbersher said. We needed a new angle. We thought that bringing in the farmers would bring in more traffic flow and it has done just that. In fact, it has worked out very well.
Silbersher said that not only has combining the two types of markets increased the number of customers, it has provided area growers with a new venue through which to market their produce.
The holiday aspect of the event its held every Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day was added to help area businesses who didnt want to be interfered with by having Westchester Avenue shut down.
We switch to holidays for businesses like real estate offices who would have been hindered by all the traffic, Silbersher. They close for the holidays anywat, so now its not a problem.
The next Antiques and Farmers Holiday Market will be, of course, July 4, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., all along Westchester Avenue in the Scotts Corner business district.
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